


Where the Sea Meets the Shore

by thenakednymph



Series: Cove [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: I have no idea what the continuity of this is going to be like, M/M, Mer keith, Mer porn, Merperson Keith (Voltron), Merperson Lance (Voltron), it may just be a series of one shots in the same universe, mer lance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-05
Updated: 2020-01-31
Packaged: 2020-08-10 03:01:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20128264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thenakednymph/pseuds/thenakednymph
Summary: Lance has come back and is settling into Keith’s life but Lance’s family wants to meet his new bondmate.Featuring: Rachel and Veronica harassing Lance, mer Keith, angst, porn, and cuddles. Not necessarily in that order.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> More content for the Cove universe. There’s a lot of things I wanted to explore and expand on but it may not turn into another full length fix so much as a series of random scenes and moments from the same universe. 
> 
> That being said, this right now IS a direct continuation of where Cove left off and you will need to have read that to follow what’s happening. Depending on where this all goes I may just combine them but for now this is what we’re doing. 
> 
> First off, we get to meet Lance’s sisters.

After Lance has had some time to settle in at the house Keith takes him out to the shoal to watch the sunrise like he’d promised they would. There’s no sign of Hunk or Pidge and while Lance is disappointed he’s also pleased to have this moment with Keith. They’re both getting comfortable in the grey dawn when they’re ambushed.

“Mamá wants-” 

Lance screams at the voice right behind them, flailing away from Keith and the side of the boat where they’re cuddled up. He hits the deck, staring wide-eyed.

A dark face is staring at them from the edge of the boat. 

“Oh shut up it’s just me.” The tone is sardonic and unaffected by Lance’s apparent over reaction. “Mamá wants to know why you haven’t brought your bondmate home and introduced him to the family.”

Lance heaves a deep breath, flopping back against the boat with a loud thunk. “God damn it Rachel,” he snaps. Keith’s heart is still racing and he flinches as another face appears next to the first, equally as silent as she breaches the surface. 

“You swear too much,” she scolds in the same tone Shiro uses to scold Keith and Lance lifts his head to scowl. 

“Fuck you.”

Keith looks back and forth between the three of them, utterly lost. “Um...hi?” He waves tenuously and the two girls’ heads snap around to him. 

“Is this him? You brought him? It’s that why you’re on the boat? You look funny with legs. Everyone wants to meet him. You didn’t tell us he was cute.” They chatter over one another, wicked grins on their faces as they throw out anything they can think of to harass and embarrass their brother. Keith recognizes the tactic. He’s used it on Shiro with Adam before. 

Lance’s cheeks are bright red. “Both of you shut up!” 

The girls just snicker and Keith takes the moment to cut in.

“Not that I’m not enjoying this moment of familiar humiliation,” he says and Lance shoots him a glare Keith ignores. “But what’s a bondmate?”

Lance blushes, slapping a hand over his face, mortified. He sits up, glaring at both Rachel and Veronica. 

“I swear to the Everlight, Rachel I will cut you apart and feed you to the leopard sharks.”

She bares her teeth and hisses which makes Veronica laugh. She brushes her shoulder length curls away from her face and Keith recognizes the same dimple in her cheek as Lance’s. The other one, Rachel, is the spitting image of Lance.

Lance makes a swipe at Rachel who ducks out of the way and sticks her tongue out at him, hiding behind Veronica’s shoulder. 

Lance huffs, finally turning his attention back to Keith. His cheeks are warm and he huffs.

“It’s…” He bites his lip, rubbing the back of his neck. “I guess the human equivalent is- fiancé?”

Keith nearly chokes. “I’m sorry?” As it is his voice comes out higher than normal.

Lance exchanges a series of rapid looks with his sisters and he actually looks frightened. Keith doesn’t know what’s going on but at that look Keith grabs Lance’s hand. 

“I’m not saying no,” he rushes to say and his thumb draws little circles over the back of Lance’s hand. “It’s just-” He lets out a slow breath, dragging a hand back through his hair. “Wow. That’s a little, uh, heavier than I’d expected that’s all.” 

He slips his hand more comfortably into Lance’s, touching the ring Lance had given him that hangs on it’s permanent chain over his heart. “But I’m not saying no.” 

Lance sags a little in relief, the tension leaving his shoulders. “Good, cause I already gave you my heart. I wouldn’t know what to do with it if you gave it back.” 

Keith brings Lance’s hand to his mouth, pressing a kiss to his knuckles. 

“Pretty sure I couldn’t live without it.”

Rachel and Veronica coo, leaning against one another, drawing Lance’s attention back around. 

“Oh you’re both so gross,” Lance snaps without heat. 

“Us?” Rachel puts an offended hand to her heart, looking at her sister, scandalized. 

“We’re not the ones making faces at our bondmates for all the sea and sky to see.” 

Keith presses another kiss to Lance’s knuckles just to see him blush. 

Rachel and Veronica make the appropriate mocking sounds and Lance swings a foot at them. 

“Oh shove off.”

They both push away from the boat with giggles, diving beneath the water. 

Once they’re gone Lance covers his face with a hand and Keith laughs. He draws Lance in for a kiss.

“I take it those were your sisters?” 

Lance nods. “Yeah, Veronica and Rachel. V is older than me, but Rachel and I were born together.”

“You’re twins?”

“I think that’s the word for it, yes. I’m sorry they ambushed us. They were probably stalking the boat long before we got here. If they hadn’t I would have actually introduced you.” 

“How many sisters do you have?”

“Just the two. And my brothers Marco and Luis. Marco lives nearby with his bondmate and my two nieflings,” he says proudly. “They’re just as much trouble as he is.”

Lance spends the rest of the time they’re out on the water telling Keith about his family, promising to introduce them all one day. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bah, not a fan of this chapter but here you go. Who’s excited for mer Keith next chapter? I have no idea how meeting the family is going to go. So far my brain hasn’t been very helpful with that. But I want mer Keith damn it.

After their time on the shoal with Rachel and Veronica, Lance can’t stop thinking about introducing Keith to his family; and Keith’s mother’s necklace. He can’t get it out of his head. He finally offers to take the shell and get it repaired, the curiosity finally driving him to action. 

Keith had shown him the necklace when he’d asked and Lance had seen the small crack they’d talked about, a tiny chip taken out of it along the edge. Lance hadn’t asked if it had been damaged in the crash but he suspected. He probably pushes a little too hard to get it repaired but an idea keeps spinning around in his head. He can’t let it go and doesn’t want to let Keith know until he can confirm it. It’s too intangible right now and such a long shot it probably won’t work. But Lance has to know. 

Keith finally relents, giving Lance the necklace and Lance snitches a few strands of hair from Keith’s pillow to take with him. 

“Take care of it okay?” Keith hovers in the doorway and Lance pockets the few stands, hoping he hasn’t been caught. 

“I will.” His expression softens and he crosses the room. “I know how important it is.” He touches the two necklaces around his throat, both very similar to one another. “I’ll bring it back.”

Keith nods, his head lowered to the floor. Lance pushes his hair back, dropping a kiss to Keith’s forehead to get him to look up. Lance strokes a finger down the crack in the shell.

“How long will you be gone?” Keith asks, arms crossed loosely. 

Lance hums while he thinks. “It depends on how long the repair takes. Tonight probably. It’s still early.” 

Keith nods, dropping his hand and meeting Lance’s eyes. “Alright, I’ll see you after work.” He draws Lance in for a quick kiss before stepping around him to get dressed. 

“I’ll be back soon.” Lance drops one more kiss to Keith’s shoulder before heading downstairs to get to the beach. He leaves his clothes in the little cave, Keith’s mother’s necklace safely around his throat before vanishing into the waves. 

~

Lance takes the necklace back to the witch who had enchanted his and has it repaired, the spell woven inside it altered to fit Keith. There’s some small flexibility to the spell given he’s Krolia’s son, more than Lance had expected. Normally such a thing isn’t possible. The enchantment is specific to one person and one person only. Lance’s heart trips over when it works.

~

Keith yawns as he opens the door. He needs a shower. He smells like the bar. “I’m home,” he calls. “Lance?” 

“I’m here!” 

Keith smiles and heads upstairs. Lance meets him at the door with a delighted smile. He pulls Lance into a hug with a tired sigh. The bar was packed tonight. Some kind of a bachelorette party or something. His ears are still ringing from all the noise. 

“Long night?” Lance runs a hand up through Keith’s hair, gently tugging the hairband free. He scratches along his scalp and Keith hums, pleased.

Keith nods, his weight sinking into Lance for a moment, enjoying the sensations before he pulls back. 

“Missed you.”

Lance smiles. “Missed you too.” 

Keith kisses him with a soft hum. “How’d it go with the necklace?”

Lance grins, all his excitement coming back in a flourish. “Really good!” He points to the little box on the dresser where Keith keeps the necklace and where Lance had safely returned it that night. 

“They were able to fix the crack?” 

Lance nods, pulling Keith over to the dresser. Keith lifts the shell out, smoothing his thumb over the now missing crack. It’s whole again. 

Keith’s expression softens as he holds the necklace and guilt begins to gnaw away at Lance; guilt and hope until he’s fidgeting nervously. His fingers twist themselves into knots and he bites his lip. There’s a better time for this, a better place but before he can think better of it his mouth is already moving. 

“Do you wanna meet me parents?” he blurts. 

Keith blinks at him, startled. “I”m sorry?” The shell is still cradled gently in his hands and Lance winces. That was stupid. He should have waited, found a better moment-

“Uh, sure?” Keith’s eyebrow quirks curiously as he tries to find where this is coming from. “I mean- how though? Do you want to meet up at the shoal again-?” 

Lance glances deliberately at the necklace in Keith’s hands and back up, fingers still tangled. He wills Keith to understand what he isn’t saying yet.

Keith’s heart starts to race. 

“I may have, um, done a thing? I swear I didn’t hurt it,” Lance rushes on, waving his hands, afraid Keith will be angry. “Fuck, I’m sorry, this was a bad idea, I should have asked.” Panic grips him. This was a colossally stupid idea. He shouldn’t have done it. He should have told Keith what he had planned. 

Keith looks at him, not quite able to put the pieces together but he isn’t angry.

“What are you saying?”

Lance bites his lip, fiddling with the hem of his borrowed shirt. He takes a deep breath and forces his hands to his sides. 

“When I took the necklace home I took some of your hair with me. I hadn’t actually meant to have the spell altered, just to see if it was possible.” He licks his dry lips, trying to stay calm and keep his words from running together.

“The necklaces are keyed to us individually but since this was your mother’s…” He glances at the necklace in Keith’s hands again. “I thought maybe there was some small chance we could alter it for you. It wasn’t supposed to work but...it did.” He gathers his courage and steps closer, touching Keith’s hand. “It’ll work for you the same way it did for her. The same way mine does for me.” His eyebrows come together with anxiety, adrenaline leaving him cold even as his heart hammers. 

“So,” he tries again, reaching for his calm as he cradles Keith’s hand. “Do you wanna meet my parents?” 

Keith can’t believe what he’s hearing but a smile splits across his face like a sunrise, the necklace warm in his hands. 

“Yeah. Yeah I’d love to.” 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Keith's turn to be a mer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been sitting on this for ages with the intent to clean it up and it just hasn't happened. So here.

They make plans and a few days later Lance takes Keith back down to their cave, setting their clothes aside. 

“So how does this- how does this work?” Keith touches the necklace around his throat anxiously. 

Lance takes his hand, kissing his knuckles and draws him down to sit in the sand. “You just will it to happen. It’s easier to visualize it for me. I start at my waist when I’m becoming human, seeing the scales fade away, the tail changing to form my legs. 

“Try that but in reverse.”

Keith squeezes Lance’s hand and closes his eyes. He imagines a set of small scales on his cheeks like Lance’s, his shoulders, the thick nails at the tips of his fingers. He imagines the delicate webbing between his knuckles, the gills on his throat, the sensitive scales along his hips. He imagines his legs fusing together, scales rippling down them, a wide fluke spreading out from under them and curling across the sand. 

The shell around his neck grows warm, a rush of energy washes over him like a wave striking the beach. It’s just as cold as the water as it ripples down and out, heat like the sun across the sand following close in its wake. 

He hears Lance’s breath catch and a sharp pain beneath him startles him out of the moment. 

“Ow, ow-” He shifts sideways to relieve the pain and Lance catches him as he flails, unable to catch his balance. 

A thick tail slaps against the wet sand in lieu of Keith kicking his legs out to try and catch himself and though he’d been prepared for it, he's still startled. He feels like he’s dreaming. 

“Oh boy.” 

Lance laughs, helping him shift onto his hip to get more comfortable. 

“You alright?”

Keith makes a garbled sound, still trying to understand what he’s seeing. 

He’s staring at the tail twitching against the sand, breath rapid and shallow. 

Lance strokes a hand over Keith’s side, holding part of his weight.

“I’ll take that as a maybe.” Lance smiles, leaning around Keith, surprised to see a dorsal branching up into his lower back. 

“Huh. Dorsal. Nifty.” He touches the delicate membrane under the spike and it twitches. 

“Oookay, that was weird.” The words come out high and strangled and Keith holds onto Lance tightly. He twitches uncomfortably, the fan-like dorsal lifting and falling. 

“You’re okay,” Lance soothes, stroking Keith’s ribs again, “I know it’s weird.”

Lance shifts about, getting more comfortable himself. “If you can collapse it you can probably sit up. I think it just got pinched when you shifted your weight.” He stares at the spines curiously before reaching towards it again. 

“So that’s what hurt,” Keith mumbles. 

Lance stares at the spines tipping the dorsal curiously. A nagging thought pricks at his mind. “Try not to move for a second. I don’t want you to stab me.”

“O-kay.”

Lance gently pinches one of the spines at the base, his fingers coming away with a thick mucus. 

“Huh.”

“What?” Keith twists around, trying to see. 

“I think you’re venomous.” Lance runs his fingers together curiously. 

“I’m what?”

Lance shows Keith the slick on his fingers. “Your spines. I think they secrete some kind of toxin at the base. It’s to keep predators from eating you.” 

“I can’t tell if that’s cool or mildly horrifying that something might try to eat me.” Keith’s eyes are wide and Lance laughs, wiping his fingers through the sand. 

“Both probably.”

Keith takes a moment to get used to the feeling of moving the dorsal. He finally manages to collapse it like bending a finger and he can sit up. 

He stares blankly at the tail stretched out in front of him and the scales along the back of his hands. 

“I’m pink.”

Instead of laughing Lance touches the scales at their lightest point on Keith’s tail, running his fingers over them. The sensation makes Keith shiver.

“Yeah,” he breathes, something like surprise and wonder in his voice. “And purple and yellow.” He says it softly, like he’s in awe and Keith blushes though he isn’t sure why. 

“Like the jellyfish out on the reefs.” Lance’s eyes trail up over Keith’s chest to the spattering of almost-scales along his throat. They pattern over his gills like spots before fading as they move towards his adam’s apple. The rest branch up onto his face like painted freckles, just peeking out of his hair along his temples.

“You’re beautiful.” 

Keith blushes under the attention, his pectoral fins twitching. Which is another startling experience in and of itself. 

“Huh.” Lance’s fingers trail over the patterns along Keith’s throat before dropping back to his tail.

“What?”

Lance shakes his head and smiles. “Nothing. I guess I was just wrong.”

“About what?” Keith frowns, flicking hair out of his face.

“You’re tropical. Based on your coloring I mean.” The tip of his finger traces down a ribbon of yellow. “I expected you to be darker,” he says softly. “But you’re so-” His eyes lift to Keith’s for a moment and he smiles. “Vibrant.” A laugh spills out of him, bright and delighted. “Matches your eyes.”

Keith flushes again. His tail twitches, the fluke slapping the sand and Lance jumps away with a startled yelp. He clutches his hand to his chest before shaking it out. There’s a long blister over the skin and he pouts at it.

“What? What happened? What did I do?” 

Lance stares at him curiously. “I don’t...know.” He pokes at Keith’s fluke curiously, realization dawning on him as he sees the little stingers half hidden in the sand.

“Huh.” He pokes at it curiously. “You’re part jellyfish.”

Keith stares at him flatly. “I’m sorry?”

“Fascinating,” Lance murmurs. “Remind me not to fluster you again,” he teases, lifting his eyes to Keith’s again. He hums thoughtfully. “Maybe you’re deep sea afterall.”

Keith frowns. “I didn’t know anything that lived deeper had coloring like this.” He flicks his tail, drawing Lance’s eyes back to the vibrant colors. 

“I’m afraid I don’t know other.” Lance’s smile falls, his hand stroking over Keith’s tail. “I wish I could have met your mother,” he says softly. “I have so many questions. I’ve never met someone from a pod below the sunlight zone.”

“The what?”

“The space where most life is in the sea. But if you’re part jelly with this coloring, there’s only one thing I can think of that matches that description: a fireworks jellyfish. They’re stunning. I’ve never seen anyone like you.” There’s fond warmth in his eyes.

Keith’s fins twitch, giving away his somber thoughts. 

“Do you think...there’s more out there?” he asks. “Like, on my mom’s side? More like me?”

Lance takes his hand. “I hope so. I’d like to meet them. I’d like for _ you _ to meet them. To maybe connect with more of your family on that side. But only if you’d like to.” His smile is encouraging and helps ease Keith’s anxiety.

“You ready for a swim?” 

“Maybe.” His thumb strokes over Lance’s knuckle.

Lance smiles. “You’ll be fine.” He gives Keith’s hand a reassuring squeeze. “You’ve got me.” 

Keith nods and Lance pulls him into his arms. Keith has a whole new level of appreciation for the trust Lance had put in him when they’d first met. He feels extremely vulnerable as Lance holds him, peeking out of the cave, looking for tourists or locals on the beach. Once he’s sure the coast is clear he carries Keith out into the shallows, sitting down with Keith in his lap. The waves lap over his waist, hiding Keith’s tail from view. 

“So how does this work? Cause I’m not gonna lie, I’m a little scared I’m gonna drown.” Keith stares at the water around them, getting used to the feel of it. He feels lighter.

“Just hold your breath like you normally would and open your mouth,” Lance instructs. “Your gills know what to do. But you will probably get sand in your mouth cause we’re so close to shore. I’m not comfortable taking you out further yet until I know you know how to breathe. Then we can get you swimming.”

Keith nods, his grip on Lance slowly easing. “Alright.” 

“Lay down. That way you can sit up if you need to. And close your eyes before you submerge,” he adds hastily. “I don’t want you getting sand in them either. That sucks.” 

“Okay.” Keith scoots a little further away to give himself room, Lance lifting his knees to hold him there. Keith puts a hand on his shin before taking a deep breath and laying down. The waves wash over him, Lance’s hands coming to rest on Keith’s arms to reassure him as water closes over his head. He opens his mouth and a moment later he feels the muscles on his throat part and open. Water rushes through them as they open and close, the filaments pulling oxygen out of the water and into his blood. He can taste the sea. 

Keith’s eyes snap open with delight and he immediately gets a face full of sand. 

He sits upright, coughing and wiping his eyes, water pouring out of his gills and down his throat. 

“Oh god that sucks,” he groans, his eyes watering. 

Lance laughs, pushing sodden hair out of Keith’s face, trying to keep the sand out of his eyes. 

“I told you.” 

Keith turns to face him. “That was amazing.” 

“Yeah? You ready to go again?”

Keith nods, eager to be under the water again. “Good, do it one more time and then we can head out.”

Keith adjusts in the sand, careful of his dorsal and takes a deep breath. This time when he opens his gills he can focus on the smells all around him. He tastes the sand, the kelp in the water nearby, the fresh oxygen as it tumbles and circulates on the waves. He can taste Lance in the water around him, warm and crisp like fresh air and summer apples. He smiles and loops one hand blindly around Lance’s ankle getting an affectionate nudge in return. 

Keith hears what sounds like dolphins in the distance but he isn’t sure. 

He opens and closes his gills a few more times before sitting up. He’s grinning widely, heart jittering with excitement.

Lance’s grin is just as wide. “You ready?”

“Absolutely.”

“Alright. I’m gonna carry you further out before I shift. Hold my hand so I don’t lose you okay?” 

Keith nods and Lance scoops him up in his arms once again, walking out into the waves. He takes a deep breath, plunging beneath the water and his own shift happens in a matter of seconds. Keith’s hand is still in his he takes his first breath, pulling them both further from the drag of the waves. 

Keith follows him easily, immediately adapting to the movement of swimming with a tail and Lance stares at him in surprise. 

“How do I-” Keith asks, trying to figure out how to use his secondary vocals. “Oh, like that.” 

Lance grins. “Yeah, like that. How did you adjust to that so quickly? It took me forever to figure out how legs work. Balance is a bitch.”

Keith laughs, the sound carrying through the water. 

“I free dive on my off hours from work, collecting pearls. I’m used to swimming with my feet tied together. This isn’t all that different.” 

Lance laughs. “Because of course you found a way to be a mer on your own.” He kisses Keith with a smile. 

“Come on, let's go meet my family."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2018/01/a-burst-of-deep-sea-fireworks-a-rare-jellyfish-filmed-by-the-e-v-nautilus/ 
> 
> Y'all, go check out a fireworks jelly. Seriously.


	4. Chapter 4

Keith had been excited, and he still is, really. It’s just...the closer they get, the more anxiety grips him until he’s slowing down, trailing further and further behind Lance. 

“Keith?” 

He startles as Lance calls for him, turning around and coming back when he realizes Keith is no longer next to him. His brows come together and he touches Keith’s wrist in concern.

“What’s going on?” he asks softly. 

Keith bites his lip, arms tucked close to his sides. He feels naked and vulnerable, anxious.

“I’m-” When he hesitates Lance draws them down to the ocean floor where they’ll be safer. Keith takes a deep breath and tries again.

“What if I screw up?” He’s pale with fear and Lance squeezes his hand.

“Like how?”

“What if I make a bad impression and your family hates me?” he asks and his voice is the kind of quiet it only gets when he’s self-conscious. “I’m not- good at this. At people. Especially when they’re people I want to impress.” His voice pitches high and desperate with anxiety. “What if I screw it up?”

Lance makes a small pained sound and touches his cheek. “Oh baby...This isn’t a big deal. I know it feels like it but it isn’t.” He shakes his head, his hair moving in a cloud around him. “Trust me, there is nothing you could do to turn any of them off. They will  _ love you _ ,” he promises. He kisses Keith’s cheek, scooting behind him to braid Keith’s hair back the way he likes when he needs reassurance. Lance keeps in physical contact the entire time, their tails twining together for comfort.

“I know you’re nervous, but it’s okay.” There’s still tension in Keith’s shoulders and Lance thinks if he concentrates he can hear his heart beating through the water. “Do you want to know what happened when I told them about you?” he asks, trying to distract him.

Keith turns his head as far as he can, trying to get a look at Lance over his shoulder. “What?” he asks quietly. Lance smiles at the memory.

“They all collectively shrieked and started asking me a thousand questions about you.” His eyes find Keith’s. “They are nothing but excited to meet you. They love you because  _ I _ love you. You make me happy.” He takes the hairband Keith offers up from his wrist, finishing off the braid. He wraps his arms around Keith, propping his chin on his shoulder and holding him tightly. 

“That is all that matters to them. That you make me happy. That I make  _ you _ happy. And I make you happy right?”

He leans around Keith to look at him.

“Of course you do.” Keith cups his cheek, giving him a quick kiss. 

“Then you have nothing to worry about,” Lance reassures. “You’re already family Keith. You’re just family they haven’t met yet.  _ That’s _ why they’re so excited.” He gives Keith a squeeze. 

“There is nothing we love more than expanding our pods, our families. This is something to celebrate and they want to be a part of it, a part of you and your life and make you a part of theirs.” 

He presses his face to Keith’s neck, feeling his gills open and close. “It’s going to be a lot, but there is no way you could ever disappoint them or cause them to disapprove. They’re my family and now they’re yours too.” He sits back, a serious look on his face. “But in the end, this isn’t their decision to make. It’s mine.” He touches the ring hanging over Keith’s heart. “And I already made it.  _ I _ decided you were worthy,” he says, soft but firm. “And that’s really all that matters.” He searches Keith’s eyes. 

“I want you to be safe and happy and to have everything you could ever want.” He touches Keith’s cheek, stroking over the patterns there. His heart beats heavy in his chest, overwhelmed with emotion. “Sand and stone,” he swears faintly, “I would do anything for you.” His eyes burn at the confession and Keith stares at him. It takes him time to process the emotion in Lance’s voice, his eyes, but when he does the only thing he can do is lean in to kiss him.

“I love you,” he whispers. 

Lance’s face warps, still overwhelmed but he nods, dropping another quick kiss to Keith’s mouth.

“If you get overwhelmed, just let me know. I’ll get you back home.” He looks at Keith seriously. “At any moment, for any reason. I  _ will _ take you home if that is what you need.”

Keith smiles, the twisted knot in his stomach finally spiralling loose. “Okay.” He kisses Lance’s cheek. “Let’s go.” 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith meets Lance's family.

Lance stops outside a basin. Towers of stone stretch eight to ten feet overhead, reaching towards the surface. A kelp bed grows off to one side, shadowing the space. Fish flit in and out between them, a number of shells and other creatures creeping along the sand. Coral paints the space in brilliant shapes and colors. Deep shadows fill the spaces along the walls like doors or windows, water and the occasional fish flowing through them. 

“Mama!” Lance calls. “I’m home!” He glances at Keith with a wide smile. “There’s someone you should meet.”

A head with a dark cloud of hair pops out of one of the holes carved in the walls, either by hand or the current and Keith recognizes her as Rachel. 

“Keith!” She ducks back inside to shout. “Keith’s here everyone! Lance brought his bondmate home!”

Lance pales and Keith feels anxiety grip him as Lance tightens his hold on him. “Oh boy.” 

A moment later there’s a surge of activity. What looks like an entire pod of mer come rushing out of the various entrances all at once, spearheaded by Rachel wearing a wide smile. 

When she reaches them she circles around Keith, her tail flicking Lance’s teasingly.

“He is way too pretty for you.” She puts her nose in the air as she comes around them both and Lance takes a swipe at her. 

In moments they’re surrounded by an amalgamation of mer of various colors, all of them asking questions and shouting greetings. One of them grabs Lance and pulls him into a headlock, leaving Keith stranded. 

Before he can pick one of the flurry of questions to try and answer, silence falls and the mer part to either side. A plump woman with deep smile lines around her eyes approaches. The older man holding Lance gives him a quick noogie while no one’s looking before letting him go. They elbow one another sharply in the ribs before Veronica gives them a scolding look. 

Judging by everyone’s reactions Keith assumes this is Lance’s mother. 

At the look of panic in Keith’s eyes Lance extricates himself from his brother. 

“Mam á .” He swims closer, taking Keith’s hand again and drawing him closer. “This is Keith.” 

She smiles at Keith with so much love and warmth he feels his anxiety begin to melt away. She takes Keith’s face in his hands, just holding him for a moment before looking at Lance.

“He is too skinny,” she scolds. “Have you not been feeding him?”

Lance squawks indignantly, arms and fins flailing in the water. “He feeds himself!” 

She clucks in disapproval. “He is your bondmate, it is your job to take care of him.” She pats Keith’s cheek fondly as she looks at her son disapprovingly.

Lance ducks his head and flushes. “Yes mama.” 

“He does take care of me.” Keith flushes as all eyes turn to him. He shrinks for a moment under all the attention before setting his jaw and lifting his chin. Lance looks up at him from under his eyebrows and their eyes meet. His expression is earnest and full of love.

Keith looks at Lance’s mother, firm but respectful. “He does. He takes care of me,” he promises and Lance’s mother melts. She pats his cheek again in what Keith hopes is approval. 

“Good.” She takes Keith’s hands in hers, tugging them gently. “You may call me Maria. Now come inside.” She leads him into the caverns and Keith realizes huge gaps overhead let light filter down into the space like underwater skylights. The tunnels and rooms that have no light are easily navigated with the bioluminescence that seems to be common to all mer. He wonders if he does that too. 

Lance’s mother introduces Keith to the family one at a time, moving between each of them fluidly, leaving everyone else to pester Lance in the background. Keith does his best to hold all their names in his mind, Maria waving everyone off when Keith starts to get overwhelmed. They all immediately turn on Lance, badgering him but giving Keith some breathing room.

“Don’t worry,” Maria says softly. “He can defend himself.” She still hasn’t let go of his hand.

Keith nods, smiling as he watches Lance puff up and snap at his sister. “I know.”

“Thank you,” she says after a moment, drawing Keith’s attention. 

“For what?”

“Saving my son.” Her voice is more somber than Keith has heard it. “Few would have done what you did.” She looks up at him. “You saved his life.” 

“I didn’t-”

“You did,” she says, gentle but firm in that same way Lance has and Keith doesn’t argue. “He was very hurt. You took good care of him.” She watches Lance fend off questions and jibes from his siblings for a beat. Keith wonders if she’s staring at the scars too. “He loves you very much.”

Keith unexpectedly feels his throat close up and he struggles not to cry. He squeezes her hand reflexively. 

“I love him too,” he manages. “More than I’ve ever loved anyone.” 

She smiles and Keith sees that same dimple in her cheek. “Be good to him and he will be good to you.” 

“I will,” Keith promises and it feels like forever in his mouth. 


End file.
